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Forged by Steel: Soul's Affliction
The birds chirped rhythmically in perfect unison allowing their music to travel across Konohagakure and satisfy everyone whose ears were fortunate enough to receive these tunes. Many opened their windows to hear the birds, others walked outside, but one man slammed his windows closed. “Too much noise,” he muttered, closing the curtains, shutting off the rays of the sun and leaving the room enveloped in darkness. He approached the mirror unable to see his actual body due to the darkness, but could make out his own silhouette. Suddenly, the silhouette morphed into something new. It reached out from the mirror, clenching Sannoto by his throat radiating a killing intent so strong that the Senju literally began to shake in fear; his body began to mutate. He felt diseases invading his body, eating up his flesh from the inside, but regardless of how much they ate he just never seemed to die. The flesh just replaced itself with more flesh, but the pain never went away. He screamed out in agony, only for his voice to be drowned out by the laughter of a demon. Sannoto glared into his eyes hatefully; images of people he had killed, Sannoto himself, simply reflected off of the demon’s eyes and took form. It was like he was almost there again, in the Third Shinobi World War: ripping out enemies organ’s, slitting their throats, and eating his comrades for food. “You never had a purpose for any of it….” The demon spoke, his voice overlapped with the hundreds of other shinobi Sannoto had killed during this war. “You wouldn’t have died. All you had to do was walk away, but you didn’t. We’re free, saved from the pains of reality. But you will forever live on, and not even death can help you save yourself from your sins. Rot forever in this hellish reality,” “Sannoto!” a voice echoed, pulling the floor bound Senju from his hallucination. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his breathing was rapid, his hands trembled, and his eyes were filled with tears. “Honey,” his wife spoke from the doorway, “Are you-?” “I-I’m F-F-Fine,” he stuttered. His tone lacked happiness and confidence and instead radiated fear. “Sannoto, hun,” his wife continued, “This is the fifth time this week. I really think,” “I said I’m fine, Ayame” he interrupted, barely getting himself off of the floor without falling back down again. His body still trembled, though every other condition he had during his hallucination seemed to calm down. The sweat no longer dripped, his breathing was no longer rapid and his tears had been replaced with red smudges across his cheeks. “I need to take a walk,” Sannoto started, walking out of the door with such haste that Ayame didn’t have a chance to finish her statement, “Sannoto, hun, please let’s go see Sak-“ Twenty Minutes Later “Sir, that’s your eighth one in ten minutes. Don’t you think that’s enough?” “Nah, I need just a little more. It’s okay, I can’t get drunk,” “Ummmm, Okay then. Just, take this then,” the bartender responded, sliding the bottle of liquor across the table. “How much for the entire thing?” “No need. It’s on the house” He lifted the liquor bottle up to his mouth, gulped some of it down and put the rest back on the table. He had truly hit rock bottom. Home is where the heart is, but for one man his heart became a fleeting dream, nomadic in its love for a place of stability, free of small attachments to the world such as a birthplace or home. It was simply a borrowed land of the earth to him. A place where he was brought into the never ending rat race of this cycle. Sauntering into the massive gates of konoha Raido X inhaled deeply taking in the aroma that greeted him as he was given clearance to proceed further into the village. The dukkha in this area was pretty stable and nothing of the ordinary, but one soul was seeping off record amounts of of dukka the kind that can spread and lead to ruin and far worse it hit Raido like a jab to the gut with a mouthful of food. The sense was strong enough to cause Yama to jolt Raido with chakra of how urgently he needed to discover the source and deal with it quickly. "Yama I aint seen this level of Dukkha since being in the Naraka Realm itself, its warranting death, but yet death is hidden from it. I didn't expect to come this village and have this kind of fun laid out before me, but somethings gotta be done". Raido said honing in on the sensory pinpointing its location and how fast he could get there. "Correct this suffering is on par with that of the Naraka Realm the mission is simple, extract the soul and begin the process of purging the negative karma and dukkha via Naraka Realm. Ill leave the level of violence up to your discretion, however I question how you will approach this. Yama said in a doubtful tone". Yama clearly knew something Raido didn't about this situation. "Now now Yama I may prefer my dessert before my dinner, but when its time to handles business I get the job done, I'll have my fun and extract the soul before the end of the day". Raido said beaming with his usual confidence of dealing with rogue souls and conflicted spirits. Yet this one felt oddly different a sense of familiarity. Speaking of fun I need to contact Sayuri Uchiha and touch basis with her, that women is either in trouble or finding her way into trouble. Raido said as he placing two fingers in front of his face and focused his chakra. Channeling his chakra Raido began using the Magic Lantern Body Technique. Honing in on the chakra receiver he gave to her. This rod allowed her and her to communicate by sending off thought waves and chakra toward each other using Raido and his rods as a central control tower to pick it up. As Raido went about focusing the chakra the rod Sayuri carried on cue would begin to emit the warm radiance of heat of Raido's chakra sending out a line to open communications. Knowing her, Sayuri is either in trouble or she is finding a way to get in trouble. All I know is every time she gets into something she never invites me in on any of the fun The thought waves (思念波, shinenha) of Sannoto's Busty Daughter (懐女千手サンノト, Sannoto no futokorogujo) accumulated ever so quickly, before forming a dark colored silhouette of the woman that appeared before Raido. The remainder of the illusion remained hidden, though Sayuri's Mangekyō Sharingan was fully visible. She seemed to be in a bit of a rush, and was as frank as possible. "It seems as though we can add Amegakure to the list of villages after us." She began, disappointment noticeable in her tone as she spoke. Weeks earlier, Kumogakure had issued a hefty bounty for the head of Raido. Now, Amegakure's elite task force, revered as Higure, was also after them. "I'm informing you because I assume they'll be sending more shinobi to our apartment. I'm currently in the middle of looking for something, so I won't be able to stop by and pack up on anything. I'll give you about 10 minutes if your around the area to take anything of value you may have left behind... before I erase any evidence they may be able to get their hands on about us. Be on alert, Raido. I'll talk to you about a new settling location some other time. Sayuri out." Just as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared. Sayuri offered no time for Raido to leave a response, let alone ask any questions. "Sigh like I said either she is in trouble or she is finding her way into trouble". Raido said as he released the hand seal to relinquish focusing his chakra. Shaking his head from side to side, he nailed this one right on the money with accuracy on her current situation. Turning his attention back to the source of dukka he he sensed he could not help but feel as though he encountered it before. A lingering thought in the back of his skull pinged him as something troubled him. He had sensed dukkha before, even had trips into the Naraka Realm, but this amount of dukkas on this plane of existence felt wrong. "Time to sniff this scent out and see what we can do about this". Raido said as he hit the trail narrowing down the location of his target. Like a ninja hound on a scent or blood in the water during a shark's feeding frenzy Raido zeroed in and found himself standing before a tavern bar, he could smell the scent of tobacco and booze but the aroma he was interested in festered in the area like a carcass in the heat. Walking in and pushing the door open, surveying the area, eyes darting across the room, the visual information being processed and relayed back to his mind at record time. His eyes were like heating seeking missiles within his Asura Path technique as within seconds he moved in on the figure slumping forward at the bar table, a lone glass sat before the person which Raido could see their face obscured by their hands. Raido slowly walked on the figure his eyes nearly burning red with desire to tear this man's soul out and save him the pain needed to weaken the physical container that acted as a prison for his rotting soul. Instead Raido pulled up the stool two stools from him and turned to his right his smart comment in mind already read, but then he saw the face of the individual. "WHAT THE FUCK???!!!!" A voice boomed from the doorway, and as a shinobi Sannoto was naturally alerted, however the alcohol dramatically slowed his reaction time and he turned towards the Uchiha rather slowly. His eyes took in the image of a man who bore a long-black trench-coat that matched his height and black sunglasses that masked his cursed blood. His shaggy brown hair reached down his back; no doubt that this was Raido, Sannoto’s number one rival and best friend. The man though, unlike his usual encounters with the Uchiha, couldn’t evoke a smile on his visage. He stared at the man with a rather blank, bored expression. His tone was no better, “I’m surprised that you wound up here, Raido. You get into more trouble, hm?” the Senju inquired. Raido came into the bar looking to rip a soul and remove the problem from the world it was about of the job as an Arihant to remove dukkhas of high sources like from the world with zero mercy. Yet before him stood a dukkha that was was deemed worthy of a first class trip directly to Naraka. Raido stared at Sannoto with eyes that were meant to kill but he eased them back for the sake of his friend. However Raido kept a distance from Sannoto, his spirit felt off way off. Before him was simply a shell, no a husk of what Sannoto use to be. The life that was glowed in his eye seemed as dim as the fading light of a dying flame. "We need to talk. What the hell happen to you Sannoto, you were two seconds and I mean two seconds from having an out of body experience". Raido said making sure to keep that distance that stood between the men. He even had his sharingan active in his right eye. The glowing red eye to match the blood shed Raido was willing to shed to extract the soul before its corruption could be spread. "Sannoto you look miserable enough to scare the dead to death your spirit and dukkha, was strong enough to the point I was nearly ready to shred you and tear your soul from your remains. Your spirit reeks of something wishing of death". Raido spoke clearly and while he did make a joke there was not a smile among either men, something was off here way off. Raido didn't know if Sannoto knew his job description well, but if this didn't change he would find out real soon. Yama was basically licking his chops to get his hands on a soul with such dukkha to burn in Naraka. "In the double-digit years of our friendship I don't think I ever told you what my real profession was and for the sake of that friendship you need to tell me two things. One what the hell happened to you and your spirit, why its dukkha and suffering is high as it is. Two how you plan to fix it and get it back on track....otherwise we may have to step out and get some fresh air". Raido stated offering options adding a joke for old times sake but not a hint nor crack of a smile was present on Raido's face. Sannoto was a friend a long time friend, his first of friends. However Raido was an Arihant full fledged, and one of the many things an Arihant is taught to do is overcome the three poisons and four kashayas. Attachment, Aversion, and Ignorance, friendship falls in line with attachment. He lifted the bottle to his mouth, taking a sip of the liquor, but afterwards he let the bottle rest on his lips; it was a struggle to put the beverage down. Sannoto let out a sigh, turning his head and staring blankly at the bartender’s wonderful collections of poison before him. “You know,” he took another sip of the drink, “even the strongest alcohol in this bar can’t intoxicate me: Ninety Five Percent. You ever drink eight bottles of Everclear, Raido?” the Senju inquired rhetorically, shaking his head as he gulped the remaining bottle down forcefully. “Well, that makes nine,” Sannoto lifted his hands up in the air, signaling the bartender to give him another bottle. “So, Raido. What happened to me? Well, let’s say some disease-spreading demon and I had an encounter and like the go lucky soul I once was, I rushed to save someone and wound up almost getting my entire family killed. But, that wasn’t even the worst part.” The bartender approached Sannoto and dropped the bottle on the counter. The blonde-haired shinobi snapped his fingers and 24 Carrat golden coin sparkled into existence. “There you go,” Sannoto exclaimed, catching the coin and sliding it to the bartender who only responded with the brightest smile a human could ever make. “If you need more drinks, let me know” and with a wink he was gone. “Now, back to you Raido. I got captured basically and hundreds of diseases invaded my body at the same time, but guess what? I didn’t die. The words he spoke, the diseases he put into me, the sheer torture that he put me was only a warning he could give; immortality is a curse. To live forever is the worst thing that can happen to a person, especially when his loved ones won’t follow the same fate. But, that’s not the worst part.” Sannoto popped the top of his Everclear bottle, instantly gulping down large amounts of the beverage. His grip on the bottle was tighter than normal. “But, then Raido,” his said, his words getting ever so much faster with each sentence, and his tone seemed to portray frustration, anger almost. “You learn that all that self defense you did; all that killing to protect yourself from dying was in vain, because you can’t die. All the sins you committed for the better cause, was never for any cause because the cause doesn’t exist.” He squeezed on the bottle, forcing the glass to collapse on itself and burst. Glass plummeted on the countertop and onto the floor and the everclear splashed off of the countertop and everywhere in the vicinity. “Fuck. Not another one,” Sannoto muttered, placing his hands onto his face and sighing. “You know, Raido. I’ve been thinking a lot,” his tone seemed to be a slight more relaxed, returning to radiating depression and a lack of ambition just as it had done before, “I'm a powerful shinobi because I was raised under the impression that I had to fight. If I didn't then that means I would have died, or so I thought. Fear of death was what made progress as a person and as a shinobi.” Sannoto turned his body towards Raido, looking his comrade directly in his eyes. “Now though, knowing that I'll never die, I have no reason to fight back, to continue progressing except to become a better man for my family, because they won't be here forever like me. World Peace is no longer a dream. No matter how much light engulfs the world, that light won't reach me. Death is no longer a fear. It's a hope..” The pure absurdity that leaked from Sannoto's lips were enough to make Raido nearly laugh in his face, however for respect of what he held for Sannoto was the only thing holding that deep laugh the resonated in his gut, what did creep on his face was the smile that was absent before, yet this was not one of consolation, but a predatory one. The ambition within the man was dead Sannoto was a mere ghost stuck in his flesh, he was sleepwalking in his own nightmares and Raido was now the alarm clock to reality. "This encounter with this so called demon has done more than ruin you, he has made you completely deluded and blown even more smoke in your face than a summoning jutsu, and now here you are drowning yourself in booze you will never feel, and sorrow that will never go away. There's a saying when one fights monster he must take great care lest they become one themselves. You know my background I was bred to be a monster ive walked the limbo of good and evil all my life. Sannoto you used violence as a banner to push forward your peace, you killed anyone who challenged it, you were always a monster but you were one with a cause. A cause just for you and those who backed you". Raido said giving Sannoto a look of disdain, the once proud senju was nothing but a remnant of what he once was. "However you couldn't be more wrong, you did die, I can smell the death on you spirit and soul. You are nothing more than a prisoner within your own body, your fighting spirit died whenever this demon got his hands on you, he took what made you truly alive and left you as a walking corpse, rotting from inside out. You are already dead and you don't even realize it because you can still feel the pain and suffering, thats my dear friend is what's left of your attachment to this life. The little piece of you that remains anyway, leeching onto what little you have left in this world. You have become a caged bird, prisoner to the physical confines that hold you together". Raido said turning his lips up in disgust at the sight before him. "Above all else you had the audacity to answer to the name Sannoto when I said it, you were and are many things but Sannoto Senju is not one of them. You have become a living insult to who he was a shinobi, a fighter and a man. Every breath you take is an insult to my friends honor". "Simply put I will not let you continue with the defamation of his name". Raido said as he held a stern poker face that while did not not convey his feelings, his words made up for it. Every verb, noun, and phrase that left Raido's mouth dripped like water off melting ice with malice, disgust and pity. "Let me be clear on this, you are far from immortal and I can show you how deep that rabbit hole goes at the rate you're falling, however I digress and will tell you first. I am saying this for what respect I did have for you as a man and someone I called a rival and friend. Who or whatever you have become today right now in this moment. You better find the Sannoto I know, tighten up and quit this moaning and bitching you are doing right now about this little bit of suffering you're experiencing, because if you don't I will personally show you suffering and damnation on a magnitude that will make what you're dealing with now seem like minor cramping pains". Raido said with enough tone filled with murderous intent to make a genocide seem like a small misunderstanding. "Every second of what's left of your life and attachments here like I said is a direct disrespect to who my friend was, and those seconds are fading fast. I gave you your options now choose because I have every intention of setting you free". Raido said with every intent to save the memory of Sannoto and who he was by ripping the soul out of this shell before him. The Naraka Realm was no place for a man like Sannoto, but if he kept at this rate Raido would see to it Sannoto learned how much of a luxury death would be, and how he will never reach that end. Millions of souls burned in a calm fireplace and their screams were drowned out by the laughter of a thousand demons; a madman’s lullaby. Sannoto blinked and broke his gaze away from Raido’s eyes for a brief moment and to the floor. “Trying to warn me of something, eh?” the Senju inquired, chuckling a bit following his statement. He gulped down the remainder of his drink and sighed as his breath reeked of the alcohol. “Unfortunately,” the Senju started as he slowly rose out of his seat. “I can’t die yet, Raido. Not until my family dies. When that happens, come back and get me whenever.” “Your friend has been born anew, Raido. You’re right in that regard; I died and experienced hell. This world is hell and I am cursed forever to reside in it. If heaven continues to reject me, then I shall reject it. Simple as that. You know what this means, yes? I’ll keep on living for the rest of eternity, destroying everything they love; their precious followers will perish. The Jashin, the Shinju followers, all of them will meet my wrath.” Every word the Senju spoke was drenched in a calm rage. He gazed at the Uchiha, his eyes radiating images of thousands of people drowning under a sea of mercury. “You’re an Arihant, a servant to a god, but the bond we held allows me to spare you, Raido. I won’t kill you, not today, not tomorrow or any other day. But, I can promise you that until every follower of these gods are wiped off the center of this earth. I no longer know the value of life, not anymore. It’s the dawn of a new era, Raido. From now on, I embrace my epithet, the name that was given to me by the people. I am the God Slayer." The intent and chakra pressure in the room was enough to illicit a small war. The two men traded murderous intent as if it were a game of go fish and they were simply pulling cards from the others hand. Raido's smirk returned back to its somewhat normal smile but his callousness remained as strong as his gaze. PWHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Raido laughter slipped from from lips as he rubbed the facial hair that clung to his chin, and slapped his leg. "It's like you don't know me at all. Either that or you misunderstood for all these years what I do". I always say the best place to hide things is in plain sight, but I never would have guessed you would fall in that category as well. How is it you see the frame but the picture still eludes you Sannoto? You see the title but not the truth behind. I am no servant and what I work for is not in any meanings a God. I am a Arihant and that is a Vanquisher, and I work for the King of Hell, he who judges souls that pass into the after. I take some of those souls and transport them to Naraka Realm where they are sentenced to eternal punishment and damnation burning & vanquishing the negative karma and dukkha, and then granted rebirth. While others are allowed to see the Pure land and, and are embraced into rebirth. Ive even seen a few of those who have killed Sannoto, I am present when Yama judges them because I am to transport them". Raido said his facing morphing into a flippant one as he spilled the truth to the situation. He stood from his stool and backed up slightly. "You know me on the personal friendship level Sannoto, but not the business one. We do have a bond and a friendship, but I am not here on that premises I am here for business. You didnt quite catch what I said earlier so I will say it once more with more feeling this time. What I offer is not death. No, death is a luxury, one you wont be granted if I come back to see you on business and not friendship, however once it is over you will be reborn as someone new to embrace the cycle. What I offer is a realm where you are trapped Mind and soul, to a place not of death, but punishment. The worst fate a person can bring upon himself stretching on seemingly forever". Raido said as his voice became greatly distorted and demonized as the voices of Yama and countless others trapped in naraka spoke alongside Raido as they heard those last few parting words before they were taken to this place, carrying out their sentence in the varying Naraka's they were sent to. Raido used his sharingan's ability to play the memories out of those who suffered in Naraka, their punishments and sentences, bu also their rebirth back into the world, their soul cleansed of their former trangressions and their purpose recreated. "Setbacks are just preparation before the great comeback. So you do what you need to do "God Slayer" you may see this as you sparing my life, but I just spared your soul, Yama had every intention of taking you and at first I was ready to oblige. Something far more important than a life". Raido said shrugging off Sannoto's statement from earlier. Death didn't concern Raido, as Arihants are just Siddha's who haven't died yet. However his death was not by any mans hands nor would he allow it. Raido's prior face and gaze finally returned to normal as his half smile came back, however he did get some useful information here today. Sannoto said something of Jashinist, known for their religion to a evil "god" Meaning corrupt souls giving him a reason to hold another Vanquishing event and destroy everything. "Now that the business is done enough of this foolishness you look any more serious Sannoto you might blow a blood vessel in your eye. You said something about Jashinist and religion to Gods. I see a new mission on my horizon a good way for me to increase my chances of ascension. Tell me more about these groups". Raido said as he was very intrigued by the new developments. His smile was back as though he would not leave with a soul here today, he would leave in great faith of greater things to come. Everything was going according to plan. "This world is littered by those that follow gods," hate grabbed the last word and clenched it tightly, refusing to let go. His eyes responded simultaneously with a roll of their own; he was truly unsatisfied by these so called gods. "In this world, they use these gods to justify their actions; entities that don't even truly care about, they worship them like they saved their lives when they do nothing but judge people for their actions. What if someone saw no other choice? What if people were born unable to see their gift as a gift, like me? They don't care about anyone but themselves. The more people they have, the more power they think they have. I will slay these gods by removing all of their power; the precious followers," Sannoto stood up and approached the Uchiha, extending his hand outwards. "You can kill me later, Raido. But before I go, my mission is to destroy all Jashinist. Are you in..." silence filled the rest of his statement. His eyes were filled with passion, "or are you going to kill me where I stand?" Category:Role-Play